Essentially a Porsche 356 speedster cabriolet with a permanent hardtop, the 356 notchback today has become relatively rare in unmodified form, particularly with its original top still intact. This 1961 Porsche 356B T-5 for sale on Hemmings.com is advertised as one of the finest examples left and looks particularly sharp in black. From the seller’s description:

Offered here is a fantastic, no excuses restoration of a brilliant 1961 Porsche 356B T-5 “notch” 1600 Super that has won numerous awards in its current, long-term ownership, including the Dayton, Ohio, Concours d’Elegance & at numerous Porsche Club of North America events. Bodied by Karmann, it is finished in black over tan leather, & every detail has been redone to authentic fashion inside & out. Under the hood & beneath were all restored to the same quality. A Certificate of Authenticity from Porsche as well as a new & correct tool kit conveys with this car.

What a unique body style on this Porsche. I’ve never seen a notchback. Wow, now I’m very, very intrigued by this model. Doing a quick search turned up a few for sale and I have to say, this is my new favorite body style for this era of Porsche. I originally thought that $82k seemed a bit high, but not anymore.

I purchased a 1961 Pacific Blue 1600 super which was once owned by the manager of the Monkies in the LA area when I was 19. I had it parked on the street in Northridge, CA and a police cruiser smacked into the rear of the car.
I made sure the car was repaired with a new rear cabriolet panel and changed the color to silver.
I drove the car for several years selling it to someone in Tucson, Arizone for about $3500.00.
Of the many cars and Porsches I have owned, I miss this one the most, and have wondered if it still survives.
I did change the rear engine compartment to a later model 2 grill to get more efficient cooling in the desert areas where I traveled.
I also replaced the steel wheels with chrome wheels after I spotted a 53 coupe that I bought for $300 and swapped rims and tires then flipped it for $400.
Those were the days in Southern California when you could buy nice 356’s cheap.
Today I have a rare 1965 3 gauge painted dash 912, which I will own until the end of my days. You cannot repace these very rare cars!

I am going to have to change my user name from Steve912 to SteveKarmannHardtopCoupe. You see I found my very same 1961 again after 40 years. It is sitting in my garage now. The original color was actually Royal Blue, and the car is now painted Ivory White.
Who would have thought that a year after what I posted above that I would have my very special car back again, and it still only has 28,000 original miles.
There were only a thousand 1961 Karmann Hardtop Coupes built. Only a few remain on the road today, and mine is one of these!

And I sold my 64 for $600! Of course I bought it for $600. Drove it for 3 years. Got very tired of being very careful where I put my feet due to tub rot. Drove and autocrossed exactly the same as any other 365 but was told to not bother restoring it about 1976 because the style was not preferred by Porsche affectionadios. Should mention while parked at an autocross another entrant was not paying attention and while backing out for his next run ran his federalized (ugly) bumper all the way down the driver’s side. Got an estimate where I was told do not bring it back for any work. His insurance company paid $300. Only car I ever made any money on.